Condenser for cotton gins



' Sept. 24, 1929. E. CORBIN CONDENSER FOR COTTON GINS Filed May 4, 19285 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 24, 1929. E. coRBlN CONDENSER FOR COTTON GINS sSheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Z'rvwst Corbz'rz;

Filed May 4. 1928 ttormy Sept. 24, 1929. E. CORBIN 1,729,232

CONDENSER FOR COTTON GINS Filed May 4. 192a 5 Sheets-Sheet s Inventorfirm/ at 0027a Z25 Attornqy Patented Sept. 24, 1929 PATENT OFFICE ERNESTCORBIN, OF SENTINEL, OKLAHOMA CONDENSER FOR COTTON GINS Applicationfiled May 4,

The present invention relates to condensers for cotton gins and has forits principal object to provide a clean out attachment for the condenseradapted to collect the cotton remaining in the condenser from a previousginning operation so as to either remove the same from the machinewithout permitting a mixing thereof to the subsequent ginning operationor else to hold the residue from the previous ginning operation apredetermined length of time during the subsequent ginning operation andpermit-ting the same to be mixed with the cotton last ginned in a amanner so that such residue will be compressed within the center of thebale of cotton rather than adjacent the edges thereof so that during theremoval of a sample of the cotton from the bale the sample will be of aquality more representative of the entire bale rather than of the firstrun of the gin, which under the present practice will be taken from theresidue of the preceding ginning operation and which may be of aninferior quality from the cotton subsequently ginned.

A further object of the invention is to provide a condenser comprising apair of drums disposed in superimposed relation, one of said drumshaving a collector attachment associated therewith for receiving thecotton from the drum and providing means for controlling the feeding ofthe cotton to either of said drums.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus ofthis character of a simple and practical construction, which iseflicient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, install in operative position and otherwise well adapted tothe purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the special construction,combination and arrangement of the various elements forming theinvention as more fully hereinafter de scribed and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings formingpart hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which 1928. Serial No.275,031.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the machine,

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation thereof, and

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view therethrough.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention comprises a condenserhousing indicated generally at 5 in which upper and lower shafts 6 and 7respectively are journailed for rotation, said shafts being horizontallydisposed in spaced parallel superimposed relation and each provided witha drum 8 for rotation therewith.

Each of said drums carries a covering 9 of foraminous material, such asfor instance, screening of a relatively fine mesh. A feed opening 10 isformed in one side of the housing enabling the lint cotton to be fedfrom the lint flue of the cotton gin (not shown) directly against thelower drum 8 and be tween the drums is arranged a divider board 11disposed in spaced relation from the surface of each drum and extendingupwardly 7 at the feed side of the upper drum substantially midwaythereof.

The side of the housing opposite from the feed opening 10 is opensubstantially throughout its length and at the portions of the housingimmediately adjacent the respective drums is a pair of hingedly mounteddoors 12 and 18 disposed adjacent the upper and lower drumsrespectively.

As clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the 85 drawings the doors arespaced away from the surface of the drum so as to permit the movement ofthe cotton about the drum at the upper portion thereof. The doors 12 and13 thus serve to close the side of the housing at which the same are.mounted so as to retain the cotton therein and permit access to theinterior of the housing for the purpose of removing foreign mattertherefrom.

Disposed immediately beneath the lower edge of doors 12 and 13, is apair of con denser rollers comprising a smooth roller 14: and a groovedroller 15, each mounted for rotation on spaced parallel shafts 16 and 17journalled in the housing.

The shafts of the drum and roller are con nected for operation with acommon drive means through a sprocket wheel 18 mounted on one of thedrum shafts, each of the shafts mounting sprocket wheels 19 operativelyconnected by the chain 20.

Each of the drum shaft-s also carries sprocket wheels 21 arranged tooperate a chain 22 for driving sprocket wheels 23 and 24 of the rollershafts 16 and 17 respectively. The chain also extends over an idlersprocket wheel 25 so as to enable the same to 'drive the roller shafts16 and 17 operatively.

Furthermore the upper roller shaft 16 is connected for opposite rotationwith respect to its associated drum. As clearly illustrated in Figure 3of the drawings the periphery of the roller 14 and 15 engages thesurface of the adjacent drum and by reason of the opposite rotation ofthe drum the same will cooperate in removing the cotton from the surfacethereof. v

The cot-ton removed by the rollers associated with the upper drum 7 isdeposited upon a chute 26 having a hingedly mounted 'door 27 arrangedtherein and cooperating with a shield 28 forwardly of the chute to closethe same and prevent the discharge of the cotton therefrom.

The door 27 is controlled by a pivotally mounted rod 29 having one end30 disposed under the door and its opposite end connected with anoperating handle 31 arranged to move the door into an upward or closedposition. The weight of the door, together with the cotton which isdischarged thereupon is sufficient to cause the opening movement of thedoor upon the release of the handle 31.

The cotton removed from the lower drum 28 is discharged in a chute 32disposed immediately beneath the door 27 of the chute 26 so that whendesired the cotton from the chute 26 may also be deposited in the lowerchute 32 and from which the cotton is conveyed to the press for packingthe same in bales.

At each side of the housing 5 is arranged a flue 33, open at its upperand lower end, said end being disposed respectively above andbeneath-the upper and lower drums.

lVithin each side of the housing adjacent the drums 7 and 8 is anopening 341 communicating with the flue 33, the opening adjacent thelower drum 8 being constantly open, ant the opening adjacent the upperdrum 7 having a door 35 hingedly connected at one edge of the openingand adapted to close communication with the flue therethrough.

To the door 35 is attached an operating lever 36 which extendsdownwardly through i the flue and outwardly of the lower end thereofwith the outer end formed into an operatc, ing handle 37.

It is to be understood that the ends of each of the drums 7 and 8 areopen so that the cotton may be fed into the housing through the feedopening 10 and forced against the surface of the drum by air underpressure supplied in a suitable manner, the air passing through thecovering of the drum and out through the openings 34formed in the sideof the housing adjacent each of the drums and out through the fines 33.

As long as each of the openings 34 associated with the upper and lowerdrums remains open the air drafts will cause the cotton to blow againstthe surface of each drum and conveyed thereby to the opposite side ofthe housing where the same is condensed and removed by the rollers in amanner as heretofore explained.

lVhen the cotton is forced against the surface of the drum by the airdraft it will be apparent that should the draft leading through eitherof the drums be interrupted that the cotton will not adhere to thesurface of the drum.

Therefore upon the closing of the door 35 controlling the air draft forthe upper drum 7 the cotton will not pass upwardly to such drum and willbe directed entirely against the lower drum.

It frequently happens after a run of cotton through the gin that aconsiderable quantity of the cotton remains in the gin and the condenserafter the ginning operation is completed so that at the beginning of thesubsequent run of cotton the residue in the gin and the condenser willbe initially discharged therefrom.

This residue may be of an inferior quality from the cotton subsequentlyginned so that when the first run of the cotton is passed in the balethe residue will naturally be baled at one side of the bale so that whenthe samples are taken from the bale, for the purpose of determining themarket value thereof, this specimen may not be representative of thetrue quality of the major portion of the bale.

For this reason my invention provides means for collecting such residueof a previous run of cotton within the chute 26 so.

that the same may be entirely removed from the condenser separate fromthe subsequent run of cotton or may be retained; in the chute until asufficient amount of cot-ton is discharged from the lower drum 8 andthen the residue from the chute 26 dumped into the chute 32 so that suchresidue may be mixed with the cotton in a manner so that the same whenpressed into bales will appear at the center of the bale.

At the bottom of the housing is arranged a clean out door 38 by means ofwhich residue collected in the bottom of the condenser dur-' ing theginning operation may be removed. It is obvious that my invention issusceptible to various changes and modifications in construction withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appendedclaims, and I accordingly claim all such forms of thedevice to which Iam entitled.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new is:

1. In combination, a condenser for ginning machines comprising aplurality of screened drums adapted to have fibrous material blownagainst the surface thereof by a current of air whereby to cause theclinging of the material thereto through the draft of air passingthrough the drum, a discharge chute for each of said drums, means forcontrolling the draft of air through one of the drums whereby to throwthe same out of operative position during the operation of the other ofsaid drums and means carried by the chute associated with saidcontrolled drum whereby to collect the products of said drum during apredetermined period of its operation and prevent removal thereof fromthe machine.

2. In combination, a condenser for ginning machines comprising a pair ofopen ended drums arranged in superimposed relation and having coveringsof foraminous material and adapted to have fibrous material blownagainst the surface thereof by a current of air whereby to cause theclinging of the material thereto through the draft of air passingthrough the drum, means for interrupting the draft of air passingthrough the uppermost of said drums, a discharge chute for each of saiddrums arranged in superimposed relation and with the upper of saidchutes adapted to discharge the product of its associated drum into thelower chute, and means carried by the upper oI said chutes forcontrolling the discharge of material therefrom.

3. In combination, a condenser for cotton ginning machines comprising apair of drums arranged in superimposed relation, a separator boardinterposed between said drum and the adjacent sides thereof said drumsbeing adapted for the feeding of cotton against the periphery thereof bybeing blown thereagainst from a common source of supply, each of saiddrums having a cover of foraminous material and open at its ends wherebyto provide an air draft through the walls and ends of the drums forcausing the tops to cling to the surface of the drum, a flue arranged ateach end of the drums and having an opening communicating with therespective drums means for controlling communication through saidopenings whereby to cut off the air draft through either of said drums,a discharge chute for each of said drums and a hingedly mounted door forone of the chutes operable to collect the products of one of said drumsand prevent the dis

